Objective To investigate the regulatory mechanism of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in different types of mitral valvular disease (MVD) with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods From August 2011 to August 2012, patients with moderate to severe MVD accompanied by AF who required mitral valve replacement at the Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, were included. Based on echocardiographic results, patients were divided into two groups: a mitral regurgitation (MR) with AF (MR-AF) group and a mitral stenosis (MS) with AF (MS-AF) group. Left atrial tissue samples were collected during surgery. Techniques such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunohistochemistry, and Western blotting were used to detect key molecules in the TGF-β1/JNK pathway. Results Sixteen patients were enrolled. There were 8 patients in the MR-AF group, including 5 males and 3 females, with an average age of (41.38±11.19) years; and 8 patients in the MS-AF group, including 6 males and 2 females, with an average age of (43.12±5.30) years. The left atrial volume load was higher in MR-AF patients, while the left atrial pressure load was higher in MS-AF patients. In MS-AF patients, the relative expression levels of MAPK9, JUN, CASP3, BAX, and BCL2 mRNA in left atrial tissues were significantly upregulated. The serum TGF-β1 protein level and the relative expression levels of p-JNK, p-c-Jun, and Caspase-3 proteins in the left atrial tissues of the MR-AF group were higher. Myocardial cell damage was more severe in the MS-AF group, and the protein expression level of Bcl-2 was higher. Conclusion Different MVD have distinct hemodynamic characteristics. The myocardium of the left atrium in MR-AF patients is more prone to apoptosis, possibly through the activation of the TGF-β1/JNK signaling pathway.

The zebrafish model has attracted much attention due to its strong reproductive ability, short research cycle, and ease of maintenance. It has always been an important vertebrate model system, often used to carry out human disease research. Its motor behavior features have the advantages of being simpler, more intuitive, and quantifiable. In recent years, it has received widespread attention in the study of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)for the treatment of sleep disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, fatigue, epilepsy, and other diseases. This paper reviews the characteristics of zebrafish motor behavior and its applications in the pharmacodynamic verification and mechanism research of TCM extracts, active ingredients, and TCM compounds, as well as in active ingredient screening and safety evaluation. The paper also analyzes its advantages and disadvantages, with the aim of improving the breadth and depth of zebrafish and its motor behavior applications in the field of TCM research.
Zebrafish/physiology* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical/methods* ; Animals ; Sleep Wake Disorders/physiopathology* ; Epilepsy/physiopathology* ; Neurodegenerative Diseases/physiopathology* ; Fatigue/physiopathology* ; Behavior, Animal/physiology* ; Motor Activity/physiology*

Erectile dysfunction (ED) is prevalent among men, but its relationship with dietary habits is uncertain. The aim of our study was to assess whether dietary patterns enhance erectile function by reviewing the literature published before August 1, 2022, via PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE databases. The data compiled included author details; publication dates, countries, treatments, patient numbers, ages, follow-ups, and clinical trial outcomes, such as ED cases, odds ratios (ORs), confidence intervals (CIs), and International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) scores with means and standard deviations. An analysis of 14 studies with 27 389 participants revealed that plant-based diets (OR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.66-0.75; P < 0.00001), low-fat diets (OR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.13-0.53; P = 0.0002), and alternative diets such as intermittent fasting and organic diets (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.36-0.80; P = 0.002) significantly reduced ED risk. High-protein low-fat diets (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.12-1.64; P < 0.00001) and high-carb low-fat diets (HR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.55-1.04; P < 0.00001) improved IIEF-5 scores. Combined diet and exercise interventions decreased the likelihood of ED (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.28-0.85; P = 0.01) and increased the IIEF-5 score (OR = 3.40, 95% CI: 1.69-5.11; P < 0.0001). Diets abundant in fruits and vegetables (OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96-0.98; P < 0.00001) and nuts (OR = 0.54, 95% CI: 0.37-0.80; P = 0.002) were also correlated with lower ED risk. Our meta-analysis underscores a strong dietary-ED association, suggesting that low-fat/Mediterranean diets rich in produce and nuts could benefit ED management.
Humans ; Male ; Erectile Dysfunction/epidemiology* ; Diet ; Diet, Fat-Restricted ; Feeding Behavior ; Penile Erection/physiology* ; Diet, Vegetarian

Objective To optimize the platelet enrichment method,and to analyze the concentration changes of key molecules in platelet-rich plasma(PRP)before and after activation,as well as the impact of its activated products on the proliferation of rat endothelial progenitor cells.Methods The tube double-centrifu-gation method was employed to optimize platelet enrichment,and the platelet count in the enriched PRP was measured.ELISA was used to detect the concentration changes of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF),endostatin(ES),and P-selectin(CD62P)in PRP before and after activation.The PRP was activated by using liquid nitrogen freeze-thaw method,and the effect of its activated products on the proliferation of rat endothelial progenitor cells was evaluated by using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT)assay.Results The optimal enrichment coefficient of platelets achieved by the double-centrifugation method was 4.63.After low-speed,long-duration double centrifugation,the platelet count was highest in the upper layer of the buffy coat.For PRP with a platelet count of 500× 109/L obtained by machine collection,the VEGF con-centrations before and after activation were(3 418.12±488.80)pg/mL and(4 530.04±308.30)pg/mL,re-spectively,the ES concentrations were(6 168.98±253.22)pg/mL and(6 594.65±82.47)pg/mL,respec-tively,the CD62P concentrations were(6 678.23±324.15)pg/mL and(17 630.53±746.24)pg/mL,respec-tively,statistically significant differences were observed in the above indicators before and after activation(P＜0.01).The activated PRP was diluted in a gradient manner by using a specialized culture medium for en-dothelial progenitor cells.MTT assay results indicated that,in the basal medium,the optimal volume fraction for promoting endothelial progenitor cell proliferation was 0.25％after 48 hours of culture;in the complete medium,the optimal volume fractions for promoting endothelial progenitor cell proliferation were 0.062 5％after 24 hours and 0.125％after 48 hours.Conclusion The concentrations of VEGF,ES,and CD62P in the optimized,enriched PRP exhibited significant changes before and after activation.The optimal volume fraction for promoting endothelial progenitor cell proliferation in the basal medium was 0.25％.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of paeonol inhibiting circRNA obesity protein(circFTO)in alleviating retinal vascular endothelial cell injury.Methods Cells were treated with high glucose(HG)to establish a cell injury model.Human retinal microvascular endothelial cells were divided into control group(without any treatment),model group(30 mmol·L-1 HG treatment),si-NC group(30 mmol·L-1 HG+si-NC 50 nmol treatment),si-circFTO group(30 mmol·L-1 HG+si-circFTO 50 nmol treatment),experimental group(30 mmol·L-1 HG+60 μmol·L-1 paeonol treatment),pcDNA3.1-NC group(30 mmol·L-1 HG+60 μmol·L-1 paeonol+pcDNA3.1-NC 2 μg treatment),pcDNA3.1-thioredoxin interacting protein(TXNIP)group(30 mmol·L-1 HG+60 μmol·L-1 paeonol+pcDNA3.1-TXNIP 2 μg treatment).The relative expression level of mRNA was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction.The expression of TXNIP in each group was detected by immunofluorescence assay.The expression level of miR-128-3p was detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization.The apoptosis of cells was detected by in situ end transferase labeling technique.Results The relative expression levels of circFTO in the control group,model group,si-NC group and si-circFTO group were 1.00±0.15,3.16±0.38,2.97±0.31 and 1.61±0.18,respectively;the relative expression levels of miR-128-3p were 1.00±0.13,0.43±0.05,0.49±0.06 and 0.86±0.09,respectively;the relative expression levels of TXNIP mRNA were 1.00±0.14,1.76±0.21,1.69±0.17 and 1.08±0.12,respectively;the above indexes in the si-circFTO group were statistically different from those in the si-NC group and the control group(all P＜0.001);the relative expression levels of angiopoietin 2(ANG2)mRNA in the model group,experimental group,pcDNA3.1-NC group and pcDNA3.1-TXNIP group were 1.00±0.12,0.68±0.07,0.71±0.08 and 0.97±0.13,respectively;the relative expression levels of tight junction protein 1(ZO-1)mRNA were 1.00±0.15,1.86±0.20,2.18±0.23 and 1.29±0.15,respectively;the proportion of apoptosis were(8.79±1.86)％,(69.52±12.05)％,(66.38±14.61)％and(18.64±3.72)％,respectively.The above indexes of the experimental group were compared with the model group,and the above indexes of the pcDNA3.1-TXNIP group were compared with the pcDNA3.1-NC group;the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05,P＜0.001).Conclusion Paeonol can alleviate retinal vascular endothelial cell damage,and its mechanism may targetedly up-regulate the level of miR-128-3p and down-regulate the expression of TXNIP by inhibiting the expression of circFTO.

AIM To establish an HPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous content determination of berberine,coptisine,gallic acid,corilagin,geniposide,toosendanin,rutinum,chlorogenic acid,luteolin,asiatica,emodin and astilbin in Tufuling Qiwei Powder.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 35℃ thermostatic Shim-pack GIST-HP C18 column (2.1 mm × 100 mm,3 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of methanol-water (containing 0.1％ formic acid) flowing at 0.25 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and electron spray ionization source was adopted in negative and positive ion detection with multiple reaction monitoring mode.RESULTS Twelve constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges (r≥0.9990),whose average recoveries were 94.83％-104.42％ with the RSDs of 1.30％-4.88％.CONCLUSION This simple,rapid and accurate method can be used for the quality control of Tufuling Qiwei Powder.

Objective To investigate the mechanism of paeonol inhibiting circRNA obesity protein(circFTO)in alleviating retinal vascular endothelial cell injury.Methods Cells were treated with high glucose(HG)to establish a cell injury model.Human retinal microvascular endothelial cells were divided into control group(without any treatment),model group(30 mmol·L-1 HG treatment),si-NC group(30 mmol·L-1 HG+si-NC 50 nmol treatment),si-circFTO group(30 mmol·L-1 HG+si-circFTO 50 nmol treatment),experimental group(30 mmol·L-1 HG+60 μmol·L-1 paeonol treatment),pcDNA3.1-NC group(30 mmol·L-1 HG+60 μmol·L-1 paeonol+pcDNA3.1-NC 2 μg treatment),pcDNA3.1-thioredoxin interacting protein(TXNIP)group(30 mmol·L-1 HG+60 μmol·L-1 paeonol+pcDNA3.1-TXNIP 2 μg treatment).The relative expression level of mRNA was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction.The expression of TXNIP in each group was detected by immunofluorescence assay.The expression level of miR-128-3p was detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization.The apoptosis of cells was detected by in situ end transferase labeling technique.Results The relative expression levels of circFTO in the control group,model group,si-NC group and si-circFTO group were 1.00±0.15,3.16±0.38,2.97±0.31 and 1.61±0.18,respectively;the relative expression levels of miR-128-3p were 1.00±0.13,0.43±0.05,0.49±0.06 and 0.86±0.09,respectively;the relative expression levels of TXNIP mRNA were 1.00±0.14,1.76±0.21,1.69±0.17 and 1.08±0.12,respectively;the above indexes in the si-circFTO group were statistically different from those in the si-NC group and the control group(all P＜0.001);the relative expression levels of angiopoietin 2(ANG2)mRNA in the model group,experimental group,pcDNA3.1-NC group and pcDNA3.1-TXNIP group were 1.00±0.12,0.68±0.07,0.71±0.08 and 0.97±0.13,respectively;the relative expression levels of tight junction protein 1(ZO-1)mRNA were 1.00±0.15,1.86±0.20,2.18±0.23 and 1.29±0.15,respectively;the proportion of apoptosis were(8.79±1.86)％,(69.52±12.05)％,(66.38±14.61)％and(18.64±3.72)％,respectively.The above indexes of the experimental group were compared with the model group,and the above indexes of the pcDNA3.1-TXNIP group were compared with the pcDNA3.1-NC group;the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05,P＜0.001).Conclusion Paeonol can alleviate retinal vascular endothelial cell damage,and its mechanism may targetedly up-regulate the level of miR-128-3p and down-regulate the expression of TXNIP by inhibiting the expression of circFTO.

AIM To establish an HPLC-MS/MS method for the simultaneous content determination of berberine,coptisine,gallic acid,corilagin,geniposide,toosendanin,rutinum,chlorogenic acid,luteolin,asiatica,emodin and astilbin in Tufuling Qiwei Powder.METHODS The analysis was performed on a 35℃ thermostatic Shim-pack GIST-HP C18 column (2.1 mm × 100 mm,3 μm),with the mobile phase comprising of methanol-water (containing 0.1％ formic acid) flowing at 0.25 mL/min in a gradient elution manner,and electron spray ionization source was adopted in negative and positive ion detection with multiple reaction monitoring mode.RESULTS Twelve constituents showed good linear relationships within their own ranges (r≥0.9990),whose average recoveries were 94.83％-104.42％ with the RSDs of 1.30％-4.88％.CONCLUSION This simple,rapid and accurate method can be used for the quality control of Tufuling Qiwei Powder.

Bupleuri Radix is commonly used in the traditional Chinese medicine, and saikosaponins are the important active ingredients. In this study, we first established a relative quantitative method for 25 saikosaponins using ultra high performance liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UHPLC-QTrap-MS) in the scheduled multiple reaction monitoring (sMRM) mode. The established method showed good intra-day and intra-day precision, linearity, repeatability and stability. Then the method was applied to compare 37 batches of Bupleuri Radix from different planting areas. The results showed that there was no significant difference in the saikosaponins composition of Bupleuri Radix from different planting areas in Shanxi Province, which indicating that Bupleuri Radix is well adapted to the environment, so it is suitable for widely planting. However, Bupleuri Radix harvested at spring and autumn were differed from those harvested at summer, which indicated that the traditional harvesting experience was reasonable. Correlation analysis showed that saikosaponins a and d were positively correlated with some saponins, and 4 saponins (such as clinoposaponin XII) showed bigger content variation were identified by coefficient of variation analysis. The LC-MS based pseudotargeted metabonomic method established in this study can be applied to the comprehensive detection of saikosaponins, which providing new method for the quality evaluation of Bupleuri Radix.